Printing appliance



1. `P. QUIGGAN. PRINTING APPLIANCE. APPLICATION FILED FEB. I4 IQIB.

l Patented May31,1921@l teuren stares JOHN 2P. QUIGGAN, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

PRINTING APPLIANCE.

T 0 lall whom t may concern Be it known that I, JOHN l). QUIGGAN, a citizen of the United States, residin at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and tate of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Printing Appliances, of which the vfollowing is a specification.

The present invention relates generally to printing appliances and is more especlally directed to improvements in the construction of the mountings and cooperating clampingdevices for printing plates,vas described and claimed in Letters Patent of the United States issued to me May 21st, 1912, No. 1,026,767.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a mounting or base block of a modified construction whereby the printing plate may be expeditiously set and which will accommodate plates of various areas and configurations.

Myinvention also comprehends a clamp ing medium to be used in conjunction with the aforesaid mounting or base plates which will be positivein its functioning and is so constructed that it will possess greater durability and may be more expeditiously and economically manufactured than the forms of clamping devices disclosedin my aforesaid Letters Patent. Y v

Myl invention, among other advantages and objects, also comprehends the provision of means for procuring a more positive coperation between the mountingor base blocks 'and the clamping device or Ine-` dium, so that aprinting plate will be firmly held in position and will gral part of the mounting `or base blocks until released by the proper manipulation of the clamping devices, the latter being so con-V structed that theymay be readily inserted or removed from their seated positions within the base of mounting blocks.

Other objects and .advantages of my invention willbe obvious as I proceed with the'following description and I would have it clearlyunderstood that I reserve unto i" myself all rights to the full range of equivalents to ywhich-I am entitled in uses and structureunder my invention in itsbroades aspect. I shall now proceed to describe my invention with reference to the accompanying Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Application med February 14, 191s.

in effect be an inte?v l Patented. Maysi, i921. -serial No. 217,069. i l

drawing which illustrates one'r embodiment o1c my improved form of mounting or base blocks and their coperating clamping devices, it being' understood that various changes may be made inthe specific details of structure without departing from the spiritl and scope of my invention.`

In the drawingsy y Figure l is a top plane view of a printing plate, mounting or base, madeup of a plurality of block sections showing a plate positioned thereon and' the coperatingclamping devices. Y j; g

Fig. 2 is a plan view similar to. Fig. l, illustrating the manner in which the sections of the blocks may be disposed Ywithrelation to each other. v ,y

Fig. Sis a transverse section on, the line III-III of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 isa sectional elevation onfthe line IVHIV of Fig.v`

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional VView of the clamping device takenv on the line V-V of Fig. 3; and. Y

Fig. 6 is an "enlarged view l ing device in perspective. I .n 1'kReferring nowto the drawings in which 1 e designate the similarparts throughout the ofA clamp#l ing which` is made up of a plurality of blocks or sections so formed as to register with each other regardless ofy `the 'position in which they may be disposed, as-shown, for

instance, in Fig. 2. These blocks or sections are formed from any suitable-mate.

lower edge 9 to form an abutmentor shoulf der 10, the. portion ofthevr wall from thek shoulder to the lower edge of the opening beingstraight. Y

Theaforesaid block sections maybe as'- sembled in any desired manner and are usu-I ally positioned .upon a suitable. support; or bed and clamped or locked together byfa frame or other securingvmeans,"l suchas indi-v cated at 11. 'Ih1S,;` however, ormsno partV of my invention, and need not, therefore, be described in detail, as obviously any one several views, 7 represents the base ormount thereof tapering slightly cliaracters of reference areemployed to skilled in the art to which the present invention appertains, will understand the manner in which these blocks may be maintained in operative position.

When the base blocks have been assembled, as previously stated, the printing plate indicated at 12, is then placed in position thereon and the clamping devices placed in position in those openings 8 of the base blocks adjacent to the outer' edgesk of the palate to hold the printing plate in place.

ach of these clamping devices, any desired v number of which may be employed to. properly hold the plate in position, consists of the relatively movable parts or members 1e and 15, the member v111 having an integral lateral extension at the top thereof to provide a jaw 17 for gripping the edge of the plate 12. Both of these parts or members 14: and 15 are of non-resilient or non-yieldable material and are so conformed as to produce a wedging action against the tension of the arm 2Oa of the spring 20 under the manipulation of the pinion 18 threaded on the stud 16 which may be formed integral with or rigidly secured, as by riveting, to the upper end of the said member 15.

The spring 20, it will be observed, consists of the body portion seated or positioned in the curved or coiled lower end 21 of the member 15, which is movable within the cutout portion 22 of the enlarged lower end 28 of the member 14, and of the aforesaid arm 2Oa and the bifurcated arm 20h. From the description of the clamping device thus far given, it will be obvious that it possesses great simplicity and may be most economically produced, no means of connection between the cooperating parts being required other than the spring 20.

When the` platel 12 has been placed in position on the base formed by the block sections 7, the clamping devices are inserted in the openings adjacent to the edge of the plate and pressed downwardly against the tension of the arm 2Ob of the spring 20, until the portions 21a and 21b on the opposite edges of the curved or locking portion 21 of the member 15 pass below the shoulder or abutment 10, formed on the interior of the opening 8. l/Vith the bifurcated arm 20h held under tension by the wall of the opening 8 under the conditions just described, it is evident that the arm 2OL of the spring 2O will function against the member 14 and hold it in contact with the face of the pinion 18, the outer face of the member 15 bearing against the opposite face of the wall of the opening 8. Therefore, when the pinion 18 is rotated by means of a rack or other tool (not shown) adapted for engagement with the teeth of the pinion, the said pinion will travel along the threaded stud 16 and advance the jaw 17 toward the edge of the printing plate 12, the member 14: being apertured at 14a so that the stud is freely movable therethrough. Simultaneously with the movement of the jaw 17 toward the edge of the printing `plate by the functioning of the pinion 18, the locking element 21 at the lower end or extremity of the member 15 is moved toward the wall of the opening so that its upper edge engages the under side of the shoulder 10. Therefore when the jaw has been advanced or moved to clamping position that is to a complete and positive contact with the edge of the plate7 it will not only be secured against longitudinal movement by the engagement of the locking element 21 with the under side of the contiguous shoulder 10, but be manifest that the clamp will be wedged and positively held in position against other movement by the pressure exerted by the spring 20 and its co-acting arms 20a and 2Ob and the counter pressure of the jaw carrying member le by its cooperation with the member 15 through the medium of the pinion 18. To release the printing plate, from engagement with the clamping device and withdraw the J latter from its position within the opening 8, the pinion is rotated in the direction opposite to that in which it is moved to perform its clamping function. This releases the pressure exerted by the spring 2O and the counter pressure of the members 14 and 15 so that the upper edge of the clamping device may be tilted forwardly toward the arm 20b of the spring 2O to release the portions 21a and 21b from engagement with the shoulder 10 and permit the withdrawal of the clamping device in a longitudinal direction.

From the foregoing description it will be manifest that the form of clamping device which l have devised and the cooperating blocks or sections for forming the base for supporting the printing plate possess a high degree of simplicity and may be manufactured and assembled with great facility and economy. At the same time the clamping device is so constructed that it positively gripsthe printing plate and simultaneously vedges or locks itself in position in the opening in the block so as to hold the printing plate in position as if it were virtually an integral part of the supporting base or bed formed by the block sections.

l-lavin thus described my invention what l daim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is; l

1. ln a printing appliance, the combination of a base block having a series of annular openings therein formed with shoulders adjacent to their lower ends, and a printing plate adapted to be positioned thereon, of means forlpositively fastening the printing plate to said block, said means comprising a. clamping device formed for location within an opening in said base block and provided with a plate-engaging jaw at its upper extremity, the lower extremity of said device having a surface adapted to engage with said shoulder, and means carried by said device and operable to function said jaw whereby the plate will be immovably held on said base.

2. In a printing appliance, the combination of a base block having a series of annular openings therein, enlarged adjacent to their lower ends to provide an inwardly directed shoulder, and a printing plate adapted to be positioned on said block, of means for positively fastening the printing plate to said block, said means comprising a clamping device formed lof two members, one of said members being provided with a plate-gripping jaw at its upper extremity, means formed at the lower extremity of the other of said members for engagement with said shoulder, said members being yieldably connected, and means carried by said latter member and capable of actuation to simultaneously function said jaw and holdsaid shoulder-engaging element in engagement with said shoulder whereby said plate will be rigidly fastened to said block.

3. In a printing appliance, the combination with a base block having annular openings formed therein at equally spaced intervals, said openings being provided with shoulders on their inner surface adjacent to the lower ends thereof, and a printing plate positioned on said block, of a clamping device adapted to be inserted in one of said openings and engage said plate to rigidly clamp said plate to said block, said device comprising a pair of relatively movable members formed of non-yielding material, one of said members being formed with a plate-gripping jaw at its upper extremity, means for engaging the shoulder of the opening carried at the extremity of the other of said members, means for yieldingly connecting said members, and means capa-ble of actuation to simultaneously function said jaw and move said shoulder-engaging element into engagement with said shoulder whereby the plate clamping device and base block will be rendered relatively immovable.

4l. A clamping device for fastening printv ing plates to base blocks provided with annular openings, comprising a pair of members formed of non-yielding material, a yieldable connection between said members, one of said members being provided'with a plate-gripping jaw while the other of Said members is formed with a surface adapted for locking engagement with the inner wall of the opening in the base block, and means operable to simultaneously function said j aw and said locking element.

5. In a printing appliance, the combination of a base block having a series of an? nular openings therein, enlarged adjacent to their lower ends to provide an inwardly directed adapted to be positioned on said block, of means for positively fastening the printing plate to said block, said means comprising a clamping device formed of two members, one of said members being provided with a plate-gripping jaw at its upper extremity, means formed at the lower extremity of the other of said members for engagement with said shoulder, said members being yieldably connected, and means carried by said latter member and capable of actuation to move said j aw into engagement with said plate to f lock the same in position upon said block.

` 6. A clamping device for fastening printing plates to perforated base blocks, comprising a pair of members formed of nonyielding material, a yieldable connection between said members, one of said members being provided with a plate engaging jaw and the other of said members having a surface formed for locking engagement with the inner surface of' an opening in said block, and means for moving said jaw into functioning position.

JOHN r. QuieeAN.

shoulder, and a printing plate 

